Book of Abstracts (PDF) - International Mycological Association

IMC7 Main Congress Theme I: BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION Posters
599 - Species of Cordyceps attacking Hymenoptera in
Thailand
K. Tasanatai & N.L. Hywel-Jones *
BIOTEC-Mycology, National Center for Genetic
Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and
Technology Development Agency, 113 Pahonyothin RD.,
Khlong 1, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120, Thailand. -
E-mail: nigelhj@biotec.or.th
In Thailand 88 Cordyceps spp. are known: Coleoptera (15
spp.) and Lepidoptera (28 spp.) hosts dominate with 9 spp.
from Hymenoptera. 3 spp. (C. sphecocephala, C. humberti
and Cordyceps sp.) are off wasps and 6 off ants. Of these 6,
4 are named - C. irangiensis, C. myrmecophila, C.
pseudolloydii and C. unilateralis. 5 spp. have Hymenostilbe
anamorphs; 4 Hirsutella. In contrast to coleopteran and
lepidopteran Cordyceps, those off Hymenoptera are hard to
isolate. Usually, Hirsutella are isolated easily while
Hymenostilbe is considered problematic. With
hymenopteran Cordyceps the converse holds. The
anamorph of C. unilateralis is H. formicarum: the most
common Hirsutella in natural forest in Thailand, it was
isolated once during a 10 yr period. A programme to isolate
this species has produced 3 more isolates. Conditions
needed to induce a vegetative colony from ascospores are
under investigation. However, for suborder
Ophiocordyceps evidence suggests that ascospores act as
carrier vehicles - the role being to produce spores that
germinate to form vegetative colonies. Hymenopteran
Cordyceps with Hymenostilbe anamorphs are assigned to
suborder Neocordyceps. Molecular work (with limited
species) shows evidence of long-branch attractions.
Circumstantial evidence suggests a link between the
hymenopteran Cordyceps with Ophiocordyceps appearing
ancestral to Neocordyceps.
600 - A preliminary study of the prevalence of
endophytes in leaves and seed pods of Colophospermum
mopane (Leguminosae) in Botswana
J.E. Taylor 1* , B.W. Bojosi 1 & A. Jordaan 2
1 Department of Biological Sciences, University of
Botswana, UB 0022, Gaborone, Botswana. - 2 Electron
Microscope Unit, Department of Physics, University of
Botswana, UB 0022, Gaborone, Botswana. - E-mail:
taylor@mopipi.ub.bw
Colophospermum mopane (Mopane) is a deciduous tree or
multi-stemmed shrub dominating the vegetative structure
in parts of Southern Africa. It is browsed by wildlife and is
utilised by local people for domestic animal fodder and
firewood. Mopane is the primary host plant of the 'mopane
worm', the caterpillar state of Imbrasia belina which is
harvested by local people and forms an important source of
protein in their diet and provides income. No previous
studies have been carried out on the fungi associated with
this regionally important tree. Young (soft green), mature
182
Book of Abstracts
(leathery green), senescent (leathery yellow) and dead
(brittle yellow-brown) leaves, and mature seed pods, were
collected directly from selected trees. Tissue samples were
dissected from the leaves and pods after surface
sterilisation. The endophyte assemblage was dominated by
species of Alternaria and Phoma, and to a lesser extent
Phomopsis. The members of the assemblage remained in
similar proportions in different aged leaves, but increased
in frequency with increasing leaf age. Alternaria spp. were
proportionally less common in petiole than lamina tissue.
TEM studies on seed pods, which yielded endophytes,
were carried out to investigate the role of the endophytes in
degradation of lignified parts of the pericarp.
Lignocellulolytic enzyme production by the endophytes
was assessed with qualitative assays.
601 - A preliminary report on a moss pathogenic
heterothallic Pythium sp. from Spitsbergen Island,
Svalbard
M. Tojo 1* , H. Fujii 1 , T. Hoshino 2 , H. Kanda 3 , M.L.
Herrero 4 , S.S. Klemsdal 4 , A.M. Tronsmo 4 & S.T. Ohki 1
1 Graduate School of Agriculture and Biological Sciences,
Osaka Prefecture University, Gakuen-cho, Sakai, Osaka
599-8531, Japan. - 2 National Institute of Advanced
Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Toyohira-ku,
Sapporo 062-8517, Japan. - 3 National Institute of Polar
Research, Itabashi-ku, Kaga, Tokyo 173-8515, Japan. -
4 Norwegian Crop Research Institute, Fellesbygget, N-1432
Aas, Norway. - E-mail: tojo@plant.osakafu-u.ac.jp
In the course of studies on moss pathogenic fungi in arctic
zone, compatible isolates of heterothallic Pythium sp. were
frequently isolated from dying moss (Sanionia uncinata) in
Ny-Ålesund (79°N, 12°E), Spitsbergen Island, Svalbard.
The fungus caused discoloration of the moss after artificial
inoculation at 0.5 and 10 °C. Morphological analysis of the
isolates showed the following features. The main hyphae
were up to 6 µm wide. Oogonia were mostly terminal,
globose, smooth-walled, 18-30 µm in diameter. Antheridia
were terminal, 1 to 5 per oogonium, sac-like and diclinous.
Oospores were single, aplerotic, rarely plerotic, globose,
16-26 µm in diameter. The thickness of the oospore wall
was up to 1 µm. Sporangia were globose, mostly terminal,
occasionally intercalary. Diameter of encysted zoospores
ranged from 10-11 µm. Optimal growth of mycelia
occurred at 25 °C, the minimum temperature for the growth
was 0.5 °C, and maximum was 28 °C. The rDNA internal
transcribed spacer sequences of the isolates were different
to those of Pythium spp. in the GenBank database. The
results suggested that a new heterothallic Pythium sp.
caused the discoloration of moss occurred on Spitsbergen
Island, Svalbard.